Story of a Photo
by constantgrey
Summary: With no other choice, Heero hires Duo the photographer. Duo’s job never seems completely finished, as he stays and takes pictures. Will Heero learn the importance of a photograph? Please RR. 1x2


_Story of a Photo_

By rainbowglitter

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Gundam Wing.

**Rated:** T, for death(s) and mild swearing

**Intro:** With no other choice, Heero hires Duo the photographer. Duo's job never seems completely finished, however, as he continues to stay and take pictures. Will Heero ever learn the importance of a photograph? Please RR. 1+2

**AU, pairings:** Heero and Duo, but I'm not sure what their final 'relationship' is. 0o It's hard to describe. TT

**Warning:** Heero and Duo aren't single at the beginning. v.v" Don't worry—they'll be together at the end… or will they? 0o And hopefully, this won't be OOC. I can't guarantee it, though. x.x

---

Heero grimaced as he held the receiver closer. Then with the cool, hard plastic pressed against his face, he snapped just loud enough for the neighborhood to hear. "You can't! We had a _deal_," he hissed. He realized his cool had almost vanished, so he struggled to reclaim what dignity had lingered. A deal was always a deal to him—there could be no turning back.

The man on the other line hung up. Heero's scowl slowly melted into the calm, calculating look he usually wore. He stiffened as he realized that he had screamed in public. Well, not exactly _in_ _public_, since the walls of the office must have provided some insulation against sound. He replaced the receiver with a clatter.

His job in the industry was to manage the advertisement branch. So far, the branch had gotten commercials and radio ads to the public. Only internet and billboard advertisements were left. However, the photographer who had taken the offer to collect the remaining pictures that they _needed_ had just canceled.

Heero's irritation grew… but only slightly. Now was the time to think—not to get angry.

He had arranged for the central hall of Rendezvous Café to be empty _today_, and Rendezvous Café's grand Central Hall could only be closed for one day, at the very best. Heero glared at the phone. The Café would close in an hour. Who could he possibly hire to do the job _now_?

He considered taking the photographs himself but discarded the thought almost immediately. He had no aesthetic taste in _instant_, two-dimensional pictures. Plus, he had no skill with a camera. He briefly considered asking one of his colleagues to do it, but then again, the photos required a careful eye. They needed a professional.

A knock sounded at the door; Heero's secretary, a docile lady with fearful eyes, peered in. "A man wants to speak with you. He's…"

A hand pushed the door completely open. The hand was attached to a violet-eyed brunette with a sunny grin. "Duo Maxwell," the brunette introduced, offering a hand, "I'm a photographer. I came to ask for the job."

Heero's eyes assessed him indifferently. "You're late," he stated simply, ignoring the hand. "The offer was closed over a week ago."

The hand fell to the side. "Uh, sorry?" the photographer continued to grin. His expression had shifted from cheerful and confident to sheepish. But he was still smiling. Heero wondered what in the world this man could still be smiling about.

Normal people would feel saddened by a lost opportunity; but this man… was an idiot.

"But," Heero continued, "due to a cancellation, we would be willing to accept your services." The baka merely blinked. "Do you have a resume…?"

Duo nodded and handed the papers over. Heero skimmed through them. There were miniaturized copies of past photos; each was a tiny masterpiece and a tiny bit of evidence to show that the idiot photographer could take pictures well.

Heero thought wordlessly, "Perhaps it's not so bad after all. If we get the pictures, we should be fine."

Aloud he said, "The site is Rendezvous Café's Central Hall. Make the scene as romantic as possible. You have 50 minutes. Do you know how to get there?"

Duo nodded again. He gave Heero a salute and a brilliant grin, before sprinting into the hall and down the stairs.

---

Heero sat at the easel, staring a hole into the blank canvas. His newest assignments had been completed, and he preferred to paint rather than do anything else in his spare time. After all, time should not be wasted.

He thought carefully of possible subjects. Relena, his fiancée, was a given candidate, but Heero was sure he didn't want to paint _her_. She had an extreme talent at pestering him—"When will the wedding be? When will it be? Oh, I hope it's soon."—and he didn't want to be reminded of that.

Heero mulled over several more ideas, until he settled on a city scene. The only issue of any importance at the moment was his work and letting the ads spill across the social media. The city was his only concern right now.

He picked up a brush and began to paint. He dipped the brush in acrylic color; then mixed it with another color and another, until the colors appeared more natural and less bold. He painted the background of the picture—a blurry, close-up image of tall buildings huddled together in a cramped space. The time of day was high noon, when the shadows of skyscrapers almost disappeared. There was still shadow beneath window ledges, however, so Heero painted those.

When he finished, he studied the piece of art. Then he added details, searching the piece for any mistakes, with a critical eye. When he was completely satisfied, it was late into the night.

So he went to bed and fell asleep, still believing that the picture was just a picture.

---

The moment Duo arrived at home, he searched for his girlfriend, Hilde. Then, when he found her, he began chattering enthusiastically about his day at work. Hilde laughed and smiled at him. "The boss was kind of aloof," Duo said brightly, "but I don't care. He can yell at me all he wants—and believe me, he can yell; I had heard it from downstairs—but I'll still take photos, like I always do, since—as you know—I'm a photographer!" he finished. "Not that he was yelling at me or anything," he added.

Hilde shook her head, smiling. "What did you take a picture of? Was it some stiff-collared, boring material?"

"Nah," Duo replied. "It was fun. The room was HUGE, and I had to make it look somehow romantic. But it's just a café, you know—the Rendezvous Café."

"Wow," Hilde murmured, "I've heard of that place. I heard it's a wonderful place to go on a date. Maybe we should check out sometime."

"Sure," Duo agreed. But truthfully, he didn't think the Café was as interesting as Hilde's words made it seem. There were a few nice statuettes but nothing much. It was all in the lighting.

---

**AN:**

**Acrylic paint-- I hate that stuff. x.x It's like liquid plastic. But there's a reason I'm putting it in the story.**

**I like this story more than my other ones. I'm definitely going to finish it, but it might take me a while. Luckily, I've got it all planned:D**

**Please read and review!**


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